I have settled into life in the village of Manamani (manAmanEE) quite well and am becoming accustom to many things such as:
a) Walking down the road and being swarmed by children that just come from no where, smiling and yelling "How are you, How are you?" They are very cute and have tons of energy! I try to pronounce each one of their names, and they yell in a chorus "Catherine!!". Thus after being there for 2 weeks I hear my name very often- and other volunteers in the village are now being called Catherine...
b) A taxi CAN fit 22 people, 4 babies, 3 chickens and about 5 suitcases ..... don't ask about the comfort and when there is only 16 people it feels like a Limo! [ Note: the Taxi's here are mini- vans like the VW vans with 4 benches made for 16 people]. But the saving grave is the good music!
c) In the village everyone is your Brother! Or your sister! It seems that now my 'family' has grown drastically and I have 4 Mothers...... I have lost track of how many siblings but I'm sure they will tell me. They have made me feel welcome and I have learned to not try to figure out all the family dynamics- everyone has an open door policy- if you're at the house and it's dinner time you come for dinner!
d) Cows rule the road..... just stand back and let them pass....
These are just a few of the things, but I am enjoying the laid back feeling and am getting used to African time..... things happen when they happen!
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